


humble beginnings

by helbow



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Established Relationship, F/F, One Shot, Trimberly Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-08 22:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11656395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helbow/pseuds/helbow
Summary: Kim's day couldn't get worse, but it could get better.OrKim has a bad day, and Trini has a surprise for her.OrTrimberly Week Day 1!





	humble beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> First day of Trimberly Week! I'm not doing everyday, praise everyone that does, but I'll be in and out!

_A piercing laugh took purchase in the night sky, the pearly whites of their smiles giving the stars a run for their money in the black of night. Illuminated in the faint haze emitting from the local ice cream parlor, a group of teenagers prance, running circles around each other, careless to the world around them. The scuff of rubber against cement settles neatly between hearty laughs. Five sets of eyes shine with love and pride, focused only on their own antics as if their bond was the axis the planet spun on._

_One pair, in particular, watches her rag-tag group of delinquents with unadulterated adoration, a feeling of pure content filling the depths of her soul, washing out any semblance of prior negativity._

_Pride for the boy with milkshake dripping down his shirt._

_Pride for the boy shaking his head, donning a smirk that tagged along for the ride._

_Pride for the boy flailing his arms towards a direction in which holds napkins._

_Pride for the girl with whom she holds in her arms as she recklessly spins around and around, a cone in each of her hands and a smile playfully tugging at her lips as she tossing a kiss to her cheek, the ice on her tongue causing the feeling of her lips to linger._

_“Gross Trini! You totally got ice cream on me!”_

_“Don’t worry princesa, I’ll fix it.” she says, before swiping her tongue across the side of her face._

_“Baby!”_

_“You love it.”_

_“I hate that you’re right, you sap.”_

_The only response she gets is an ever so elegant waggle of eyebrows, causing her to squeeze the legs wrapped around her torso in an attempt to close any remaining space between her and the girl on her back._

_A nose presses into the hair resting behind her neck, and after taking a deep breath in, letting out a content sigh, causing the taller girl’s heart to swell._

_Maybe it was the euphoria of surrounding herself with the people she loved most, or maybe it was the banter between her and her girlfriend, but when the ice cream cone came careening into her nose, it was all too easy to let the laugh begging to be released escape into the open air, destined to keep the sleeping sun company, one that gives just as much warmth to all those doused in its light._

_(It was even easier to kiss the girl in retaliation, covering her tinted cheeks in mint chocolate chip, the multi colored sprinkles dripping her chin, effectively wiping the smirk off her face.) ___

__Kim rolled over, her feet entangling in her sheets, yawning as she lazily throws an arm out in an attempt to pull Trini closer to her. To her surprise, she is solely greeted with the disappointment of an empty bed._ _

__Propping her head on her elbow as she blinks away the sleep in her eyes, she huffs in protest at the rising sun. Her paper thin blinds stay true to their name, only rather than blinding the morning light, they point the brightness directly into her corneas._ _

__Normally, on those blissful mornings wrapped around each other, Trini was here to throw Kim’s beat-up alarm clock (she’d been through seven at this point) at her small dorm window, burying herself into her girlfriend’s neck immediately after the plastic shatters against glass frame. They pay no attention to the mess created, in favor of pulling the blanket up higher, as if the fabric would keep in not only the warmth due to the proximity of their bodies, but also the tranquility of mornings spent together._ _

__Instead, Trini had crashed at Zack’s after last night’s ice cream escapades, leaving the lonely girl to give the window what she was pretty sure was the meanest side-eyed it’d ever seen._ _

__The radio’s static cut through the morning silence, signalling 6:00 am in it’s obnoxious bright red LED’s, forcing her haggard body into reluctant action._ _

__Nevermind the sluggishness of a morning without her girlfriend, Kim was determined to have a good day, shutting off C-78.5’s top hits and slipping into Trini’s worn softball sweatshirt to combat the brisk morning air, memories of chilly afternoons sitting on bleachers swimming in her head._ _

__The former cheerleader finished up the last knot of her shoes and grabbed her keys, heading to the goto Zordon University coffee destination; Krispy Kreme._ _

__She stopped at her front door, shooting a text to Trini in her and her friend’s main group chat rather than separately, fully intending to push the boys buttons._ _

__**6:05 am [princess pain in the ass]: hey baby, meet for coffee? xx**__

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__**6:07 am [el tigre, but smaller]: why eat donuts when we can eat much, much more important things ;)**__

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__**6:10 am [princess pain in the ass]: honestly zack im surprised you even know how to use commas. tell trin if she wakes up now, maybe later we can get to those much more important things**__

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__**6:10 am [just ignore whatever he says tbh]: she literally FLEW out of bed**__

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__**6:13 am [el tigre, but smaller]: im up. zack is currently dying on the floor, and a hot chocolate sounds like a much better alternative to whatever this idiot is doing, but i have class in 15. Sorry babe :/ ******__

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__She read the message, and Kim’s heart skipped a beat as panic flooded her system, a sense of overwhelming dread washing over her. She had totally forgotten._ _

__Her paper was due, all the way on the other side of campus._ _

__In 17 minutes._ _

__It was a little ol’ fact that here at beautiful Zordon Uni, campus officials encourage all students to get the exercise they need in between pursuing academic excellence._ _

__So, to ensure students the best experience, most classes were only accessible by foot._ _

__Which of course means, Kim was totally screwed._ _

__Her years of running around the track before the start of cheer practice better do her justice, because Kim had worked her ass off on this essay, missing nights that very well could have been spent doing those prior mentioned very important things with Trini in favor of slaving over word choice and transitions._ _

__Of all things, why did she choose to major in psych?_ _

__But alas, there was no time to dwell on her ever so prevalent poor decision making, having thrown herself out of her dormitory, booking it across the freshly mowed grass and past the half-asleep students._ _

__But of course, fate never bode well for Kim, toying with her at every chance it could take._ _

__Which is why she didn’t even question it, when everything took a drastic turn for the worst, though Kim couldn’t exactly pinpoint the moment everything went wrong._ _

__At first she’d just been running, flash drive in hand, with the sole purpose of receiving her hard earned credit, one that had caused her the stress of a thousand suns, ignoring the knowing looks that followed her as she pumped her arms faster and faster._ _

__Maybe it was the fact her feet were moving on autopilot, having done this same route morning after morning, not quite paying attention to her general surroundings for the sake of, hopefully, saving her precious time._ _

__Maybe it was the whistle callously directed her way, even though she was sprinting across the main lawn in what were essentially pajamas, completely minding her own damn business._ _

__Or maybe it was the excited geology major waving his hand in a panicked manner, desperately trying to get the attention Kim had committed to her desperate attempt at turning her assignment in on time._ _

__But, just as she had decided she couldn’t run the risk of talking with Billy, who tended to ramble on about topics no one really understood for an obscene yet impressive length of time, she had had the biggest ‘oh shit’ moment of her entire life, which, in Kim’s case, was saying a lot._ _

__The girl’s shins connected with the unforgiving cement, but momentum decided the fun simply couldn’t stop there, causing her to topple forward over the guard rails._ _

__Directly into the massive lake in the epicenter of campus._ _

__All watched as after a moment of quiet, a sputtering girl shot up from the rippling water, flailing her arms in a poor attempt to gain the guise stability, but the fact college had literally thrown her to the sharks gave the true nature of the situation away._ _

__The general public just nodded their heads and went on with their day, a mutual understanding of all the suffering that was college resonating throughout the campus._ _

__Busy bowing her head in an attempt to hide her shame, the soaked girl hadn’t noticed her friend leaning over the barrier surrounding the water._ _

__“Kimberly?”_ _

__A sigh._ _

__“Hey Bill.”_ _

__“Are you okay? Like, obviously you aren’t because you just fell in this lake, but is everything else good?”_ _

__At this point the idea of turning her essay in on time, well, that train had left the station, leaving Kim to pull what was left of her and her dignity up and out of what was essentially a glorified pond._ _

__Latching onto the polished cement with the help of Billy, she heaved herself and the extra ten pounds of water occupying her drenched clothes onto the guardrail._ _

__“I saw you running and tried to get your attention ‘cause I saw you were headed right for the water, but that didn’t really help. That’s okay though, let’s go get some coffee, you didn’t get any like you usually do with Trini. Actually, I just turned something in for Trini! Anyway, you usually get sad and tired if you don’t have coffee let’s go get coffee.” he said as he pivoted in a somewhat clunky manner, using his arms to balance all the while propelling himself in the opposite direction._ _

__Kim chuckled, heart warming at the mention of her girlfriend, and even more so at the sweet purity that radiated from the one and only Billy Cranston._ _

__~_ _

__From outside the windows of the donut franchise, it was evident that the local Krispy Kreme was chock full of sleep-deprived youth, the crowd practically twitching in need for their daily fix of caffeine; not that Kim was any better of course._ _

__Billy hadn’t been wrong in his notion that a coffee-less Kim (on top of a Trini-less Kim) was not the Kim people tended to want to be around, complete with snappy remarks and enough eyerolls to power a freight train three times over._ _

__As soon as the pair were able to make it through the swarm of the undead, or rather, caffeinated college students, and pushed opened the glass door, the scent of coffee beans wafted through the air, immediately causing her to recall fond memories created whilst tucked in a corner booth with Trini, throwing sugar packets and daring looks, holding half eaten donuts and each other's hands._ _

__While her brain fogged over due to her flaming bisexuality, she and Billy had made it to the front of the ever growing line, reciting orders more skillfully than their own last names._ _

__Kim reached into her pocket for her wallet (“Seriously Kimmy, who uses purses anymore? The patriarchy?”), only to discover, in her late stupor, she hadn’t remembered to bring any of her essentials with her, just her phone, which had thankfully survived the impromptu dive, and a waterlogged flash drive._ _

__As she glanced at the barista in distress, who was growing ever so impatient, a sullen look dominated her features, when Billy stepped in._ _

__“Don’t worry Kimberly Hart, I have a gift card!” he said as he placed the Krispy Kreme branded plastic on the coffee stained counter._ _

__And for the nth time during the entire length of their friendship, Kim decided there was no way Billy Cranston was anything but an angel from the skies above._ _

__In her desperation to finally receive her morning coffee, reaching for the drink on the counter with ‘Kym’ (seriously, how does someone manage to fuck up that bad?) scribbled on the flimsy plastic, she had completely forgotten the fact she was lugging around what was essentially a small water park._ _

__With the piping hot cup in her hands, Kim attempted to turn around and exit the packed donut shop, but because of her damned unexpected plunge, the water droplets running down her leg that had collected below her in the prolonged period of time she was waiting for her drink, causing her to lose her balance, sliding around the wet tiles, not unlike a baby deer, until coming to a full stop._ _

__Directly on some dude’s chest, a torrent of scalding hot coffee exploding all over both parties._ _

__As if this day could get any worse._ _

__“Well hey Kimmy, guess your coffee’s on me today!”_ _

__And, in the end, if Kim was going to spill coffee on anyone in the entire Zordon University campus, she was as happy as a girl covered in lake water and hot coffee could be, that it was Zack Taylor._ _

__~_ _

__After getting coffee with Billy, or rather holding it for not even a second followed by immediately spilling it all over both her and the one person that would literally never let her live that down, Kim deduced the most feasible plan for today would be to return to her dorm to (not so) patiently wait for Trini’s inevitable text that she had finished class, forgetting her drenched clothes as she flopped her face onto her pillow, rather than getting a headstart on her upcoming exam, which would most likely eventually bite her in the ass._ _

__But in the end, Kim decided, after today’s essay flop, she never wanted to so much as look at any sort of textbook for as long as she shall live._ _

__Eventually, following her self proclaimed nap of sadness, she salvaged enough energy to climb into the shower. It was only after a solid seven minutes in had she realized she was still fully clothed, shedding not only the clothes she was wearing, but the shame that had set deep in her core._ _

__(Falling in a lake does that to people.)_ _

__Once she’d returned from her shower, it was revealed the psych major’s boredom would face it’s end in the form of a small, yet fierce, girlfriend, who had finally contacted her._ _

__Kim all but dove across the couch to retrieve the device from next to the outlet where it had been charging, swiping across a picture of a blushing Trini to unlock it._ _

__**12:23 am [babygirl xx]: class was boring, come over I have a surprise for you. hurry, im sleepy.**__

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__**12:23 am [princesa <3]: be there asap xoxo :) :) :) :) ******__

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__Her response would most likely earn her a ‘damn girl, you whipped’ from Zack, but she couldn’t bring herself to care as she jumped off the couch and slipped on her shoes. In all fairness, Trini, in the moments before she fell asleep, was practically a koala. Would in their right mind would want to miss out on that?_ _

__On that note, out the door she went, making the five-minute journey to her car (which, for the record, was hell of a trek to make while drunk), practically jumping for joy at the prospective cuddles she would soon receive._ _

__Skipping her way up the three flights of stairs of the car park to her beat up 2003 Accord, Kim reached into the too small pockets of her skinny jeans, and felt her heart drop for the millionth time that day._ _

__Of course she didn’t have her keys, angrily lashing out, throwing her fist at her car door, resulting in the clean ‘snap’ of her fingernail._ _

__Her shoulders dropped for only but a second, steeling herself in an effort to prevent any further delay from reuniting with her girlfriend, lifting her chin high in the air as she turned to exit the parking lot and start the walk to the engineering dorms._ _

__Besides, short nails might be beneficial for her afternoon with Trini._ _

__By the time the brick building came into view, her calves were burning like the fiery pits of hell, begging for some semblance of a break, resulting in the psych major stopping to collect herself._ _

__Only to have a bird drop a different kind of surprise than Kim had been expecting directly on her shoulder._ _

__At this point, Kim was anything but fazed, grumbling under her breath as she forged her tired legs onward._ _

__Luckily, Trini’s dorm room was on the first floor, as opposed to Kim’s fifth floor room, those stairs no stranger to heated make out sessions (and maybe a bit more)._ _

__Walking down the stained carpet in the creaking hallway and stopping at the door emblazoned ‘Room 107’, she lifted her hand to knock._ _

__No answer, that was strange. She knocked again, but to no avail, shooting her girlfriend a text immediately after._ _

__Kim reached into her empty pocket for her keys yet again, a scream of frustration building in her throat._ _

__Who the fuck invented keys, and who the fuck decided girls didn’t deserve bigger pockets?_ _

__She could practically here Trini whispering ‘the patriarchy’ in her ear._ _

__Kim threw her back against the door, sliding to the ground beneath her, head in her hands as a tear slipped down her cheek._ _

__She was so close, yet so, so far. Couldn’t this day do her at least one favor?_ _

__And apparently, by the heavens above, the answer was yes._ _

__After a good five minutes spent slumped in front of the closed door, she had given up on the idea of an answered text, her resolve breaking as she left to fetch her keys from her counter where she had left them this fateful morning because she was goddamn Kimberly Hart, she could do this herself._ _

__And then she witnessed a miracle; a true act of a higher power Kim couldn’t thank enough._ _

__Trini’s window was open, a crack just below the unmistakable stain glass sabertooth._ _

__With the last of her energy, Kim sprinted over the moat of mulch surrounded the building, and dove through the window._ _

__The former cheerleader would’ve like to say she had done it gracefully, redeeming herself from the atrocity that was the morning’s events, but as she was clearing the window’s ledge, her left shoe’s lace caught the corner of the windowsill, violently jerking her face directly into the floor of Trini’s room._ _

__Kim couldn't bring herself to care, popping up, adorning a wide smile just above a bruise forming on her chin. She scanned the surroundings of the room, only to spot what she assumed was the surprise Trini had planned for her._ _

__Four large blankets hung precariously from the ceiling fan, an ocean of blankets covering most of the floor (except for where Kim’s face had landed, of course)._ _

__She circled what could only be called a structure in front of her, and found what was probably the exit, the gleam of fairy lights catching her eye._ _

__The inside of the now evident pillow fort took her breath away._ _

__Complete with a TV, multiple bean bags and couch cushions, and even one of those giant bears twice the size of Trini, this fort was no force to be reckoned with, in fact, Kim was pretty sure not even a wrestling Zack and Jason could knock this thing down._ _

__At this point Kim was pretty sure Trini was just trying to flex her engineering skills, not that she was complaining._ _

__Though the real prize, Kim decided, was in the middle, buried within a mass of fuzzy blankets and fluffy pillows._ _

__There, sprawled out like a starfish, was Trini, fast asleep; a tranquil smile graced her features as the clumped she tucked herself into moved up and down, in sync with her even breath._ _

__Kim quickly took out her phone to snap of picture._ _

__But, like an ode to the mess that was this morning, her phone wasn’t on silence, the pseudo ‘click’ of the camera stirring the one good thing in her life from her slumber._ _

__“S’that you ‘im? I’s wa’ing for you, s’rry I fell ‘sleep.” slurred the half-conscious girl, Kim barely preventing a coo from leaving her lips._ _

__Instead, she tugged her head through her bird feces laden jacket, kneeling down and flopping on top of the smaller girl, immediately retracting her arms, pulling Trini in for the tightest hug she could manage with the little energy she had left._ _

__“Woah, you alright there?” Trini asked, more awake this time, as Kim urgently breathed in her scent from her position behind her back._ _

__The fuzz from the blankets tickled her nose as she sucked in a strangled breath, Trini turning to face her after her showed signs of distress._ _

__“I just had a really rough day, and there’s nowhere I’d rather be than here.” she managed, adding, “This is really cool by the way.”_ _

__“Baby, what happened?” Trini said as she brushed her hand through Kim’s short locks, saving the praise for another day._ _

__“I...I fell in the lake.”  
A look of utter disbelief crossed the smaller girl’s features, and all Kim could do was nod. _ _

__“I was trying to turn my paper in, Billy waved to me, the next thing I knew I was underwater.” Kim’s earlier frustration getting to her as she continues on, not before shoving her face into the pillows, muffled voice raising with every word. “I was just, ugh, I totally forgot to turn in that essay I worked my ass off on, and then we went for coffee and I forgot my wallet, and even after Billy paid for me, I spilled it all over Zack! I forgot my keys twice, A FUCKING BIRD SHIT ON ME. I-I just, fuck, I wanted to-”_ _

__Kim shut down, tears building in her eyes._ _

__Trini grimaced sadly, wiping away the source of her blurry vision._ _

__“I just wanted to see you.”_ _

__The engineering major felt her heart break at the usually confident girl’s small voice._ _

__“Baby, look at me.” She said as she picked her head up with a gentle tilt of her chin. “You’re here now.”_ _

__Kim let out a choked laugh._ _

__“I knew that, silly.”_ _

__“Did you know, smartass, that I turned your essay in for you this morning?”_ _

__And at that, Kim’s eyes shot wide open._ _

__“You did not?”_ _

__“Did too. Well I mean, technically I asked Billy to do it for me, but let’s not play this game.”_ _

__Kim squeezed the girl in front of her impossibly tighter, a strangled noise escaping her mouth. Kim laughed as she relaxed her arms._ _

__“I was also the one who gave Billy the gift card.” she said poking Kim’s ribcage._ _

__And when Kim said she fell more in love with this girl everyday, boy did she mean it._ _

__“And you still had time to build all this?”_ _

__“Well yeah, the boys and I threw this together after I brought you home last night. We, more so they, are calling it the Pit,” she said with an eyeroll, “the new, totally exclusive, Zordon University’s Ranger’s hangout.”_ _

__Kim’s look of shock and adoration seemed to be never ending, but, for good measure, Trini kissed Kim’s forehead._ _

__“All this for me?” she asked quietly._ _

__“Who’s the sap now?” Trini smirked._ _

__“Still you. Your extra ass literally built me the biggest pillow fort I’ve ever seen, and I watch Ellen.”_ _

__Trini rolled her eyes yet again._ _

__“You think you’re so high and mighty Miss. Hart? Guess what?”_ _

__Kim tilted her head, as if to challenge the smaller girl._ _

__“My door was unlocked. Hope your trip here was nice.”_ _

__And with that, Trini pulled the groaning girl in to kiss the top of her head. Kim couldn’t help but smile as the two girl’s folded into each other, slowly snaking her hands around the already dozing girl’s waist, and just as she started her onslaught of tickles, her heart growing at the sound of the thrashing girl’s laugh (one her usual stoic facade didn’t allow for), she decided that maybe, just maybe,_ _

__today was worth ending up in her girl’s arms._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Check me out on Tumblr! https://helb0w.tumblr.com/


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